Police reach cellar in search for Jersey care home remains

Lenny Harper (right), the deputy chief officer of the States of Jersey police, emerges from a forensics tent at the Haut De La Garenne youth hostel. Photograph: Leon Neal/AFP

Police searching a Jersey care home where the remains of a child were found today broke into the cellar where they fear further remains may be buried.

The deputy chief officer of the States of Jersey police, Lenny Harper, said a sniffer dog had shown an "extremely strong reaction" in the room at the Haut de la Garenne youth hostel, but as yet had found "nothing obvious". He said the cellar would need a "thorough investigation".

"We have some concerns about some of the reasons for the cellar being blocked up," he said. Harper said the forensic examiner was working under "difficult conditions" and "rock, soil and clay" had been used to block up the room.

He said the cellar was about 12ft square and 8ft high, and that the forensic examiner believed there was another room of similar size that had also been bricked up.

Harper suggested the cellar appeared as described by several witnesses.

Police are considering allegations made by "well in excess" of 160 victims over several decades as part of their wide-ranging investigation into sex abuse on the island.

More than 70 people have called police since the discovery of a skull at the property, which was formerly a children's home, on Saturday.

Many callers have mentioned a set of shackles which police are still searching for.

"A lot of people have been recounting their memories of the home and the cellar," said Harper. He said former police officers were also being investigated as to how they handled past allegations of child abuse.

He indicated that there were around 40 suspects, which included figures of authority at care homes. "There will be arrests as we go on," he said. "People will be brought in and questioned about allegations."

Harper said it was "difficult to imagine the traumatic effect this has had on victims".

The deputy police chief reiterated his previous statements that officers had found "no evidence" of a government cover-up.

The island's former health and social services minister, Stuart Syvret, claimed yesterday that there had been "a culture of cover-up and concealment" in relation to allegations of child abuse

Harper estimated police would remain at the property for another couple of weeks.